


By Any Other Name

by JustAndrea



Category: Wander Over Yonder
Genre: Gen, character piece, my take on the whole Wander/multiple names thing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-20
Updated: 2016-12-20
Packaged: 2018-09-10 17:33:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8926078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustAndrea/pseuds/JustAndrea
Summary: It’s always been a pattern for Wander. A new galaxy, a new name, new friends, but the same old way of living. However, sometimes not having a ‘real’ identity can get you in some sticky situations, especially at a space station…





	

Even as he was forced to stand still and wait, the nomad’s eyes still wandered around his surroundings as a big, excited grin sat on his face. There was just so much to look at! The shiny metal of the station, all the various places and things inside the station, all the _people_ \- both familiar species as well as species that Wander didn’t have much experience with but was still eager to be friends with! Honestly, it was all just so-!

“I guess it is pretty amazing, huh buddy?”

Wander gave a small gasp and looked up at his friend. “Yeah! That’s what I was just about to say! How’d you know?!”

Sylvia smirked, rolling her eyes a bit. “Oh, just a lucky guess. And I mean, it is kind of the truth.” Her smile faltered a bit though as she turned her head forward again, and was reminded of just how far back they were in the line. “Even with certain downsides…”

Station #26570B, one of the biggest in this Galaxy (at least, according to the pamphlets they had outside every entrance and exit into the space station). Mostly it was used as a resting hub - with all its restaurants, stores, hotels and cryogenic freezing tubes (perfect for cat naps) available for guests - but it also served a pretty big purpose for travelers. 

Within the upper level of the station, there were several ships, which were much faster than even the quickest space coaster, that would depart to some of the farthest parts of the Galaxy - and sometimes, they would even travel to nearby galaxies. There were also teleporters and even a couple Interdimensional Doors available to use if you wanted to get to your destination even quicker! Now, of course Wander and Sylvia didn’t care too much about the speed of their travels - the journey is just as important as the destination, after all! - but getting to experience a ride on one of Station 2657B’s ships did sound pretty exciting! 

But, with all the great things and amazing services the station had to offer, it did have one pretty huge negative point to it…

With all the people and product going in and out of the station _plus_ all the ships and equipment, any kind of disaster there would’ve been catastrophic. So, needless to say, security was pretty tight. Just buying tickets had been half an hour, but the security check had taken _three times_ as long - both because of the length of the line and because something like a magic hat that can create anything isn’t exactly the easiest thing to get through an x-ray scanner. 

Thankfully, they were eventually able to compromise by Wander sticking his hat into a suitcase and promising to keep it put away until he and Sylvia reached their destination. But, unfortunately, they still had to wait in the main line - the line full of all the passengers that were getting on the ship, just to make sure everyone had legitimate tickets - before they could actually relax for a bit and enjoy themselves before their take-off time. 

“This place maybe ‘amazing’,” Sylvia mumbled, “But it’s also kinda ridiculous, if you ask me… I mean, you’d think with all the people here, they’d think to have a couple extra workers help out and get things movin’ a bit faster!”

“Yeah… Oh!” Wander grinned, already starting to step out of line, “Maybe we can hel-!”

Sylvia immediately yanked him back. “Sorry buddy, not gonna happen. And trust me, I know that you’d probably be able to get these people through faster than anybody, but we’re already kinda on thin ice as it is with this place,” she reminded him, gesturing to his locked, green suitcase, “So I don’t really think it’s the best idea to be startin’ anything, even if it is to help.”

The nomad frowned, clearly a bit disappointed, but still understood. “You’re right…” He then started to smile again, just a little. “And besides, maybe we can find other folks to help out after we get through the line!”

Sylvia smiled back at him, ruffling his fur a bit. “Yeah, maybe. Oh, hey!” Her smile quickly turned into a grin as she saw the people ahead of them take a couple steps forward. Sylvia in turn took a step forward as well, and-! …The line stopped again. She slumped forward, an annoyed frown back on her face. “Nevermind…”

Wander just continued to smile, patting his friend’s shoulder. It would be another forty five minutes before they reached the front of the line, but thankfully they were able to pass the time by playing games like I Spy and other various guessing games. Not the most engaging, but at least they kept Sylvia from going completely crazy from boredom.

“Next…” The young man said, his voice low and flat. Still, Wander waved at him - mostly because his three eyes, antennas and blue skin reminded him of a friend, though this young man had very long black hair rather than chin-length brownish-red hair.

Sylvia on the other hand could honestly care less about the worker at this point. She just stepped forward, giving a small sigh of relief as she placed her ticket on the counter. 

The worker glanced at it for a moment, and then looked back up at her. “ID please…”

“Huh? Oh, right.” Reaching back, she stuck a hand under her saddle and pulled out her change purse. Opening it up, she quickly pulled out her ID - and grimaced slightly at the photo. “Ugh, really gotta update this thing one of these days,” she mumbled as she placed the ID card on the counter. 

The worker looked at both the ticket and the card, typed in a few numbers on his computer, and then handed them back to Sylvia. “Enjoy your flight…” He told her, not even cracking a smile.

Sylvia gave him a flat look in return. “Gee, thanks.” With that, she walked past the counter. She was nearly done with all this flarping waiting! …Well, other than waiting for the ship itself, but that wouldn’t be nearly as bad as waiting in a line. “Just gotta wait for Wander,” she told herself as she put away her ticket and purse. Once she did that, she turned around - and her relieved smile fell when she saw just how worried her friend now looked.

Still, as the station worker called for the next person, Wander forced a small smile and placed his ticket on the counter. “ID please…”

“…” The nomad rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeahhh… See, I’m gonna have a bit of a problem doing that…”

Sylvia raised an eyebrow. “What’s wrong, buddy? Is your ID in your hat or somethin’?”

“Not exactly…” He turned back to the worker and flashed a sheepish smile. “See, I don’t really… have an ID?” 

The Zbornak’s jaw dropped and, needless to say, the station worker was not very amused. “Please step aside, Sir…”

“Wait, hold on a sec!” Sylvia shouted, her face still full of disbelief, “Wander, you seriously don’t have an ID? No passport or license or, or anything like that?!” 

Wander shook his head, though honestly, he looked more guilty about holding everyone up than ashamed at not having any form of ID.

His friend sighed, rubbing her eyes for a moment. “Unbelievable… Alright, look-” She turned back to the worker. “Can’t you just let it slide this one time? We-”

“It’s station policy, ma’am,” the worker replied, “Can’t let anyone in without an ID for security reasons.”

“Oh come on! Do you honestly think that _he_ -” She pointed at Wander, who at the moment was temporarily distracted by a cute baby a couple people back, waving at it and making silly faces that made it giggle- “would be of ANY danger to anyone?! Besides, we’re traveling together, so-!”

“Is he family?” the young man asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Practically!” Sylvia shouted. The worker’s expression didn’t change. “…I mean, I guess we’re not family by blood,” she added, “Or by adoption… Or marriage… Or, anything legal really, but-”

“Next,” Was all the worker said, handing Wander his denied ticket back as he waved the next person forward.

But, while Wander took the ticket back without arguing, Sylvia was far from done. “Wait!” she shouted again, “I’ve known him for nearly five years now! That’s got to count for something, right?”

“Sorry,” the worker replied without even looking at her, “Not enough proof.” Sylvia groaned, clenching her fists.

“Hey, it’s alright, Syl!” Wander told her from the other side of the counter, still managing to smile despite still looking guilty and even a little disappointed, “I’m sure we can get a refund for our tickets. Or, hey, you could even go on ahead and I’ll just go my own way and meet you-”

“No way,” Sylvia scowled. They traveled together, no matter what! “I’m not giving up yet, and neither should you! We are getting you on that ship! We just gotta think… Come on, Wander, are you sure you don’t have anything? Galactic Social Security Card? Library card? _Anything?_ ” The nomad shook his head, giving another apology as Sylvia sighed. “Alright, alright… There has to be some way we can prove that you’re you, but how-”

And that’s when it came to her. “ _Ding!_ Wander, stay right here,” she told him with a smirk, walking back through the ticket gate as her travel partner gave her a curious look, “I’ve gotta go make a phone call…”

It was a good thing Wander didn’t mind waiting too much. He just sat down by the ticket counter and made light conversation with the people in line. Although, the longer he waited, the less people there were to talk to. Before he knew it, the station worker was on his microphone. “The ticket gate will be closing in fifteen minutes…” he announced to the fairly empty space outside of the gates.

Wander frowned. “Hmm… Maybe I should go see what Sylvia’s doing, just to make sure she’s alright…” However, no sooner had he stood up did he hear a pair of shouts that made him look up.

“Ow! Hey, stop yanking!” “I’d stop yanking if you were faster! Come on, otherwise we’ll miss it!” “Alright alright! Geez!”

Despite the latter's obvious bad mood, Wander still grinned as both his friend and a certain skeleton came into view - though his smile did falter a bit when he saw what Hater was wearing. Rather than his usual red and black cloak, he was instead wearing a black bathrobe with a damp red towel around his neck rather than a hood. He didn’t have any gloves on either, though he was wearing what looked like a very comfy pair of Watchdog themed slippers.

“Ugh, I still can’t believe you interrupted my shower for this!” Hater growled, yanking his arm away from Sylvia as they reached the counter, “Now all the Watchdogs are gonna take up all the hot water and it’s gonna take FOREVER for it to-”

“I’ll make it up to you later, alright?!” Sylvia huffed, “Now come on, tell him!”

“Fiiiine!” Rolling his eyes a bit, the skeletal lord stepped forward, and even the worker managed to break his flat expression a bit, his eyes widening slightly. Even in his unusual attire, this was still Lord Hater, Greatest in the Galaxy AND Savior of the Galaxy - and Sylvia had a pretty good feeling that hardly anyone would argue against someone with a title like that!

In one swift movement, Hater grabbed Wander by the scruff of his neck and held him up. “So, you’re wondering if this guy is who he says he is? Well he is. Can you let him and his Zbornak through now?”

“Well uh, can you confirm that he’s not a danger to anyone?” the worker asked, his monotone never faltering despite showing a bit more emotion now.

“Hmph, only if you’re a villain,” Hater retorted while Wander just gave a small giggle.

“How long have you known him, Sir?”

“Around three years now.”

“And you can confirm that this is Wander?”

“Ugh, yes I-” Hater paused, and Sylvia's smile fell. “Well, I mean, I can pretty much confirm it, yeah.”

 _Pretty much?!_  “What are you talking about, Bonehead?!” Sylvia snapped, “How can you have any doubt?!”

“Well it’s not my fault that he’s changed his name before!” Hater yelled back at her, scowling again.

Sylvia blinked. “Wait… What?”

“Yeah, see, when I met Major Threat-”

Wander squee’d. “Oooh, you’ve met Jeff! That’s so great to hear! Oh! Did you two have fun together! Did he-?”

“Anyway,” Hater started to say again, giving the nomad a small glare in order to silence him for a moment, “After we met, Major Threat started talking about this guy that traveled and helped people and annoyed villains and all that stuff, and he said his name was Tumbleweed, so I thought maybe he really was talking about a different guy. But then he mentioned the whole ‘mustard or mayo’ thing and, come on, who else in the universe would be interested in the answer to _that_ question?! Or would ask it several times in a row?”

Despite the situation, Wander couldn’t help but chuckle a bit. “Heh, yeah. Good times. Good Ol’ Jeff…” Though, once he noticed his best friend’s expression, the chuckles quickly stopped.

“Wander… Is this true?” Wander nodded, not wanting to try and hide any truths from her - especially since she looked more confused than upset. “But, why’d you change your name? I mean-”

“Well, because it wasn’t _my_ name in the first place,” the nomad answered simply, as if it were the most normal thing in the universe, “It was just what folks in that galaxy decided to call me, just like how you decided to call me the name I have now when you first met me!”

Sylvia blinked. “Huh? What-” She paused, and thought back to their first meeting, despite how much she didn’t really like thinking about it.  _“Come on, you wandering weirdo.”_ …Seriously? That was where he got his newest name from? The Zbornak shook her head, and at the same time… She tried her hardest to hold back her own bit of laughter.

It was ridiculous, but it really did seem like something her friend would do.

“So, let me get this straight-” Everyone turned back to the worker, who was back to looking bored and unamused, “Wander isn’t even your real name?”

“Well, no,” Wander replied, shrugging a bit, “But, I mean, Tumbleweed isn’t my real name either. I’ve had lots of different names! It just all depends on where I’m at and the people I meet and-” He paused. “And, this really isn’t helping my case, is it?”

“Nope,” all three of them said in unison as Hater let go of him - though of course, Wander was able to land on his feet.

“…Well, I guess this plan-” Sylvia gestured to Hater- “Was a bust… But, maybe if we call up Major Threat, he can vouch for you! He can say that, that Tumbleweed is just as good and not-dangerous as Wander, and maybe with TWO famous conquerors claiming that you’re a good guy, maybe-!”

“Syl.” The Zbornak stopped, and looked down. Wander was giving her a gentle smile, thankful yet accepting. “I don’t think I’m gettin’ on this ship, Syl.”

“…Yeah, I know,” she sighed, “And that means, that neither am I.” Wander opened his mouth to argue, but Sylvia stopped him. “It’s fine. Better traveling in an orbubble together than on a big, super fast ship alone, right?” Wander didn’t saying anything, but his smile did grow just a little.

“…Uhh, so, can I go now?” Hater asked, crossing his arms. 

Sylvia rolled her eyes. “Yeah, you can go. Thanks for trying, at least. And don’t worry, I’ll remember to drop off a gallon of fudgy pudgy vanilla next time we run into your ship, alright?”

Satisfied, Hater nodded, and with a bright bolt of green lightning, he teleported away. And, with nothing else to do, the two of them started heading back towards the ticket counter.

()()()()()()()()()

Even with the light of the nearby space station, the stars above the small asteroid still shone brightly above them. A light shiver passed through Sylvia, but she simply pulled her friend a bit closer, and they both instantly got a bit warmer. Sure, with the money they were given for their tickets, they could’ve stayed at the actual station, but while a bed was nice every once in a while, nothing could really beat sleeping under the stars.

Still, there was one little thing that was preventing their night from being completely perfect… She felt Wander’s body rise and fall in a silent sigh. Curious, she nudged him with her snout. “You alright, buddy?”

“Yeah… It’s just- I’m sorry we couldn’t go on the ship,” Wander replied, glancing over at her, “And that ya spent all that time waiting for nothing because of me.”

“Eh, it’s fine,” Sylvia told him, offering a small smile, “I mean sure, it would’ve been kinda neat, riding on one of those ships. But, I have a feeling that it’s view can’t beat the view you can get from an orbubble.” Wander smiled back at her and laid back again, resting his head on her saddle. Though, after a moment, he heard her add, “If anything, I’m more upset that you won’t ever be able to go on one. You’re the one who likes experiencing new things, after all.”

“Mm, yeah,” Wander shrugged, “But hey, as long as I can still get to all the planets and galaxies that those ships go to, it doesn’t really matter in the long run!”

“If you say so…” With that, Sylvia fell silent once more. But as they sat there, one question just kept bringing itself to the forefront of her mind. “…Hey, Wander?”

“Yeah?”

“…How many names have you had?”

Wander’s smile softened. “Well, I don’t really number them, but I remember all of them. Now let’s see here… You already know Tumbleweed. Before that there was Roam, then Miles, and Comet. After that was Onward, then Jack, then Stringer, and then Sightseer.” Several more names followed, and by the twenty fourth one Sylvia stopped him, figuring that if she didn’t, he would just keep naming off old identities all night.

“Sounds like you’ve had a ton of names, buddy,” she said quietly, not really wanting to think about how much it must’ve taken him to get all those, “And… And they’ve all come from strangers? Not from you, or from family?”

Wander shook his head. “Nope. Not from what I can remember, at least. All the names I do remember though are just what folks have called me at one point or another.”

And that was the one quality about all these names that Sylvia just didn’t quite understand. 

“…Why didn’t you ever keep one? I mean, I know you probably liked them all but, why didn’t you ever decide to keep one of the names that you were called, and make it your permanent name?” Maybe the question was a bit rude - was it? Sylvia wasn’t sure since she had never really met anyone else with so many other names - but thankfully, Wander didn’t look offended at all.

“Heh… That’s a pretty good question,” he mumbled, glancing back up at the stars, “But, I do have an answer for ya… I guess in a way, they were just nicknames. But to me… To someone who didn’t remember their ‘real’ name or, heck, maybe I never had a real name in the first place… To someone like that, even nicknames mean a lot.”

His smile grew a bit as he thought about them all. All the names… All those lifetimes… “Just to know that someone cared enough to call you somethin’ other than Sir or Ma’am or Them or That One Over There, it’s nice, ya know? And, as far as I’ve seen, every new places has new eyes, new ideas. New names from folks that start out as complete strangers, but then end up being good friends. Each new name brings new adventures, new challenges, new obstacles and new successes.”

Maybe Tumbleweed and Roam and the others weren’t really all that different from Wander in terms of personality, but they were different enough. The traits and the ideals within them never really faltered or shifted, but the experiences were always new. “Basically, they aren’t just names for me… They’re _lives_.” 

Sylvia stared at him. Honestly, that was all she could do. Whether it was in amazement or in shock, she wasn’t sure. She just stared, and wondered about all these other lives. 

“Of course,” Wander said suddenly, “Lives, like all things, always have to come to an end… But endings can be relative, ya know?” For a moment, there was a flash of sadness, but it disappeared once he looked back at his best friend. “For me at least, I feel like an old life ends and a new one begins not just when I travel to a new galaxy, but when folks start callin’ me something new. And when that happens, it’s… It’s almost refreshing, you know?”

“…Yeah,” the Zbornak said finally, not quite smiling, but giving a small nod, “I think I do…” 

She didn’t know how long Wander had lived, or how long he was going to live biologically wise, but just based on the new information she had gotten, she could guess that it would be a while. And when you lived for that long, who wouldn’t want to be given a fresh start every once in a while? Something to make time seem smaller, less infinite. To make it seem less intimidating, and more of just various periods of new adventure and new friendships and love just waiting to happen.  

“…I never forget them, you know?”

“Huh?” Sylvia blinked. She hadn’t even noticed Wander turning to his side, wrapping his noodley arms around her neck. 

“Just because I don’t keep ‘em, doesn’t mean I don’t remember what each name brought me,” Wander said softly, “I could never forget them… Any of them. After all the joy they brought me, it’s the least I could do.”

“…” Without a word, Sylvia returned the hug, holding him as tightly as she could. 

Eventually, their hold on each other did loosen a bit, and Sylvia glanced down at the nomad. His smile was smaller, but still strong. “…Endings and new beginnings are always pretty interesting,” he told her, “but I have a feeling that I’m gonna keep being Wander for a while still.”

“Good… Glad to hear it, bud.” After a moment, she smirked. “After all, which each new name, you do stand the risk of getting a not-so-great name.”

Wander gave a small laugh. “Come on, Syl. Every name’s got somethin’ good about it! …Hmm, I’ve heard Hater call me Sunshine Banjo-Face a couple times. Maybe that’ll end up bein’ my next name!”

“Pffft! That’d be a pretty silly name, don’t you think?”

“Aw, I think it’d be a cute name!” The Sunshine part at least sounded nice, but he didn’t really mind the Banjo-Face part either. 

“Heh, what about Hairy Spoon?” Sylvia questioned, grinning a bit now.

“I’ve got nothin’ against being called Spoon! I mean, you’ve gotta admit, Syl, I do sorta look like one. It’s actually kinda neat when you think about it!”

“Alright smart-guy, what about just Hairy? Or Shorty, or Smelly?”

Wander snorted, putting a hand over his mouth to try and stop his giggles. “W-Well, that last one may make it a bit hard for me to make new friends, but hey, if that’s what folks wanna call me, then who am I to say what’s what?”

“Seriously?” Sylvia laughed, shaking her head, “Well, lucky for you, I think you’ll inspire much better names than something like Smelly.”

“Aw, thanks!” Wander grinned, chuckling along with her. 

Eventually, the two of them did tire (and laugh) themselves out and decided to call it a night. But while Wander fell asleep right away, Sylvia still took a couple extra minutes to close her eyes. Instead, she watched the wandering weirdo on her back, wondering about him and admiring that light smile on his face that had managed to endure through the years. 

It wasn’t exactly a happy thing to think about but, there would come a day where Wander wouldn’t be Wander anymore. He’d have a new name. He would be traveling around in a new galaxy, maybe even with a new travelling partner… But with this thought came another, and it was one that brought more than enough comfort to overshadow the hurt, enough for her to smile once more as she fell asleep.

Even after a hundred new names, no matter what happened, he would still be Wander to her. He would still be Wander to their galaxy, and even after he moved on, the ways in which he helped all of them would never be forgotten, nor could they be taken away or replaced. And maybe _that_ was the true power of having multiple names rather than just one. 

The nomad himself would keep changing and helping and living and moving forward, but Wander would still never truly die - and neither would any of the others.

**THE END**


End file.
